Abu dhabi: The Pakistan military announced on Wednesday that 18 militants and three civilians were killed following an improvised explosive device blast and a subsequent security operation in the Balochistan province in the south-west of the country.
According to Emirates News Agency, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement revealing that the incident began when an improvised explosive device, planted inside a vehicle, accidentally detonated while militants were preparing it in the Surab area of Balochistan. The explosion resulted in the death of eight militants and injuries to several others.
The ISPR statement further explained that the initial blast triggered the explosion of other devices stored by the militants at the site, leading to the death of three civilians who happened to be nearby.
Security and police forces promptly arrived at the scene and launched a joint operation aimed at clearing the area and pursuing the fleeing militants. During an exchange of fire, forces successfully killed an additional 10 militants, bringing the total number of militant casualties to 18.
The statement also noted that two soldiers sustained injuries during the exchange of fire. Clearance operations are still ongoing to eliminate any remaining militant hideouts in the area.